Mr. Robot Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 My guitar tech is encouraging me to go into unchartered territory and set up my ES 175 with flat wound strings. I have never used them before. He says that it will significantly enhance the tone of my 175, although he acknowledged that they will go dull within a few weeks - but never corode. He will have to adjust the neck as the tension is apparently higher. Any advice or comments would be appreciated my friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 If you've never used flats, you are in for a surprises, both good and bad. Flats are mellow. They just don't have the brightness of round wounds at all. On the good side, you have no idea how smooth they are under the fingers. Serious 'wow' here. No finger squeak either. D'Addario Chromes are a good choice and won't break the bank. If you want to go Cadillac, try Thomastik Infield. They're expensive but worth evey penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Robot Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 Many thanks. I use the 175 mostly for jazz chord work, so that sounds awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 If you've never used flats' date=' you are in for a surprises, both good and bad. Flats are mellow. They just don't have the brightness of round wounds at all. On the good side, you have no idea how smooth they are under the fingers. Serious 'wow' here. No finger squeak either. [/quote'] I agree... and will ad this: They are not for everyone, but they are nice to have if you have more guitars. I installed them in a jazz guitar I owned (what I mean is it was suposed to be made to play jazz... not that I know much about the style ) and as ksdaddy said, they were really smooth... wow it's like playing a completely different instrument. But yes, you lose all the brightness and at the time my playing demanded brightness and attack (which I think is really lacking with those strings). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 They're a one trick pony for sure. I have regular 10-46 D'Addario rounds on my Gretsch Country Club, 12-52 D'Addario flats on my homemade Gretsch type thing (but will likely put rounds on it soon) and I just bought a set of Thomastik flats for my Epi Emperor. That guitar will be my jazz box. If I only had one fat hollowbody I don't know if I would put flats on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I agree with the D'Addario Chromes recomendation as a strating point for your endevor into flatwounds. They are a very good string at a resonable price, and readily available. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the mellowness and warmth of the 175 when strung with flats. It will completely change the voice of this instrument. I would also recomend using the heaviest guage strings that you can stand to play, this will enhance it's tone, volume and voice even more. I disagree with your teacher saying that flatwounds will "go dull" after a few weeks. To someone that is used to playing roundwounds, flats are "DULL" out of the box, that's what they're supposed to sound like. A good set of flats will last much longer that roundwounds, and in fact do not need to be changed until you start having tuning or overtone problems. Depending on your style and how much you play them , this will usually somewhere between 6 months and a year. I play about 20 hours a week and change my strings between the 9 month and one year mark. Once you get used to the sound and playability of the flatwounds, you may want to experiment with "boutique" strings. There many high end, and expensive, flatwounds string available. Since they last so long, it's easier to justify paying for top knotch strings. On my L-5 and L-7 I use LaBella #800M Black Nylon Tape Wound 14-67. Instead of being wound with flat metal ribbon, these are wound with black nylon tape, they also come in a .012 guage set. These strings are very expensive, and certainally not for everyone, but they are perfect for what I do. By the way, maybe I should add that when I got my first archtop years ago I strung it with .011 guage roundwounds just like my solid bodies and thinlines. Although it did give me feel and playability I was used too, I soon realized that they could never give me the sound I was looking for. Give the flats a try and take some time to get accustomed to sound and feel. After a while I think you'll be sold and never go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Flats are not my cup of tea. Personal Preference and all. But it's always good to try something new (and they're pretty cheap to try). My motto's been: I'll try anything twice - served me decent so far, and made for some interesting experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Try them. Let me know what you think. I've been toying with the idea of changing mine too. Look forward to your feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Robot Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 Thanks guys. I will get them fitted this week and let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I kinda have gone the opposite direction from my '60s rock days and such... I used light gauge flatwounds - whatever they were - back in the '60s for rock. Tried, then dropped them when I started doing country in the 70s. Then tried again toward the end of the 70s when I started doing more jazzy stuff. L5 - I didn't know they still made those "black tape" strings. Tried 'em over 30 years ago and didn't care for them. They buzzed when I was trying to play country on 'em on an archtop. I don't know what the deal is, but I had more buzz problems with the (relatively heavy) flatwounds than the 9-42 round Ellixir Polyweb (the heavier coating) I use now on the same box. On the other hand, I've been accused of having the jazz box sounding more like a keyboard of some sort than like a guitar. I dunno - although I think it's more a style/technical thing than even the strings. Too, I use a very, very light touch and bare fingers/nails. So... I'm thinking of trying some other strings too. I'm told Zebras are interesting on an archtop and give a more mellow sound. But???? m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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